Mississauga high school students to return to class Wednesday following plaza blast

Mississauga high school students to return to class Wednesday following plaza blast

Students at a Mississauga high school that was closed for two days following an explosion at a nearby plaza will return to school on Wednesday, according to the Peel District School Board.

T.L. Kennedy Secondary School is about one city block northwest of 3066 Hurontario St., a mixed-use commercial and residential strip mall that was partly levelled by the blast on Sunday morning.

The explosion also forced about 50 residents from a building across the road from the plaza. They are staying at a local hotel until their homes are repaired.

Damage from the initial blast was exacerbated by a fire that burned for nearly 24 hours after. The explosion broke an aging gas line, which fuelled the subsequent blaze.

The Ontario Office of the Fire Marshal, along with Mississauga fire officials and Peel police, continues to investigate what may have caused the explosion.

Mississauga Fire worked in conjunction with the Peel District School Board and engineers to clear T.L. Kennedy for a safe return.

"All dust and dirt has been cleared. Air quality tests conducted by the fire department and an external contractor found no hazardous materials," the school board said in a news release.

"A fence safety barrier has been set up between the school and the plaza where the explosion occurred and security staff will be on site."

There will no access to T.L. from Hurontario Street, and buses will use an alternate route.

Officials were unable to say when residents who left their homes will be able to go back.

"The City's Office of Emergency Management is contacting those directly impacted by this incident on a daily basis," said Mississauga Fire Chief Tim Beckett in a news release.

"Our focus is safety first. We are working with our city staff, community partners, the Region of Peel Human Services and the Red Cross, Enbridge and Peel Regional Police to remedy the area as quickly as possible."